LOOK AT THIS SNAPCHAT (I am sorry)…
[Video][Website]
[5.38]
W.B. Swygart: Yes, it’s been ten years since “Ignition (Remix),” but it’s also been ten years since “Bring Me to Life,” and who better to throw a parade for that than Piano Avwiw? She remembers the pain of December — which is still two months away! The song is fully divorced from subtlety while also not really making any sense (she may or may not be leaving someone, this may or may not be a good thing, piano), and that’s before Chad turns up and starts making his Confused Elf Lord noises. The video is similarly headscratching — a janitor has a magical blazer and guitar that enable him to travel through time via a mirror while transforming him into Chad, but also he might be a ghost, and Avwiw has this tablet that is available at all good retailers and has an app that lets her see through time or possibly paranormal dimensions so she can watch him play guitar, which makes her feel at least one emotion. Also, she might be a ghost. There is also a bit where Ghost-Not-Ghost Chad sensuously rests his groin between Avwiw’s shoulderblades, because feelings. It’s not “Kiss From a Rose,” but it’ll do.
[7]
Crystal Leww: Lavigne actually pulls off the Evanescence vibe pretty well. This is easily the natural, few-years-down-the-line successor to the girl who sang “Happy Ending”. Unfortunately, her husband comes in and all of a sudden I can’t stop laughing. Look, I can believe that their marriage is real and all, but I cannot take his voice seriously. Avril returns to a natural state in the outro, which is perfectly lovely in the way that her voice is slightly faded, but it’s too late. I’ve already been lost by that point.
[4]
Brad Shoup: Oddly, the bass/crash cymbal combo — just as much a Nickelback trademark as rock-star sociopathy — gave me a wistful pause. Kroeger’s always shown me just enough to keep me from checking out, and so he does again. In a good duet, the second singer elaborates on his partner’s melody. Chad’s colonic approach to singing pushes notes into poignance, and his chorus support emphasizes a thinner slice of his range. “Let Me Go” is a triumph of mood over content: there’s no real bridge, and “Uninvited”-era Alanis wouldn’t have crossed the street to avoid that outro. I suppose Kroevril was never going to be Peaches and Herb. A vaguely psychedelic modern-rock breakup lament is probably their ceiling.
[8]
Patrick St. Michel: Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger’s romantic relationship is starting to look like the evil version Ciara and Future’s…the two coming together on one track to create a plodding ballad that brings to mind “Hero” written for some sort of The Hunger Games knockoff.
[2]
Juana Giaimo: Is it necessary to point out that this song would be much better without Chad Kroeger? Avril Lavigne’s angelic and delicate voice has always contrasted with the image she wants to give, but the one time they can match, Chad Kroeger has to ruin it all with his emotionless voice. If we add that the lyrics tell the typical cliché of two lonely and heartbroken souls saved by each other, this song can turn into something unbearable.
[5]
Alfred Soto: Like Heart crying uncle and recording “Never,” Avril Lavigne holds her nose and shares space with a guy who in the last ten years probably denigrated teen pop every chance he got. Studied blankness is the result.
[5]
Anthony Easton: Is there a word for a song that you hope will be horrible but you just end up disappointed by its mediocrity? Perhaps something in German? (Extra point for the piano.)
[6]
Katherine St Asaph: Theory: you either like Avril for her brattiness, the girlfriends shouting what the hell at the sk8er bois, or for her angsty power ballads. And if you like Nickelback for anything, it’s for angsty power ballads. (That is, “How You Remind Me” is far more defensible than “Something in Your Mouth.” A couple Staind and Default hits aren’t that much to answer for.) “Let Me Go” is as angsty as power ballads come. The piano quakes, the cellos brood. The lyrics change tenses then change their mind, the sort of banal songwriting changes that aren’t any more banal than these broken affairs are anyway. When Avril’s alone, she practically yodels, a better sound for her than blah sass or affected choirgirl stuff; when Chad’s alone, his vocals are either stricken or scratchy enough to play stricken; when they sing together, it’s a metallic, hollow sound. All this is possibly exactly what you don’t want from Avril, but I like it fine.
[6]